74.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeBusinessSt. Croix businessU.S. Department of Commerce Invests $21.9 Million to Boost Capacity of Crown...

U.S. Department of Commerce Invests $21.9 Million to Boost Capacity of Crown Bay Terminal

Cruise ships lie side by side at Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas. (Photo provided by VIPA)
Cruise ships lie side by side at Monsanto Marine Terminal in Crown Bay, St. Thomas. (File photo, provided by VIPA)

Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $21.9 million grant to the Virgin Islands Port Authority, St. Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, to rebuild and expand cargo handling and storage infrastructure at the Crown Bay Terminal to support increased exports and imports and enhance local economic resiliency.

The EDA grant, to be located in a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $6.1 million in local funds and is expected to create 125 jobs, retain 50 jobs and generate $6.1 million in private investment.

“The Trump Administration is committed to helping American communities impacted by natural disasters update infrastructure to attract business and encourage growth,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This project will help the Virgin Islands Port Authority to expand the Crown Bay Terminal’s capacity to ship goods internationally, and the project’s location in an Opportunity Zone will attract additional investment.”

“Virgin Islands Port Authority facilities were impacted by severe tropical weather events in 2017,” said Dana Gartzke, who is performing the delegated duties of the assistant secretary of commerce for economic development. “This project will help the port become more resilient in the face of future natural disasters, and the project’s location in an opportunity zone will further transform the surrounding community.”

The funding announced today goes to one of the Virgin Islands’ 14 opportunity zones. Created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, opportunity zones are spurring economic development in economically-distressed communities nationwide. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in opportunity zones, visit EDA’s opportunity zones webpage.

This project is funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (PL 115-123) (PDF), in which Congress appropriated to EDA $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program (PDF) funds for disaster relief and recovery as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, wildfires and other calendar year 2017 natural disasters under the Stafford Act.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.